Do Conservatives And Liberals Have Enough in Common to Keep A Country Together Anymore?

Townhall.com ^ | Nov 18, 2017 | John Hawkins

[Oshkalaboomboom]

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” – The Declaration of Independence

Remember the woman who was fired for flipping off Trump’s motorcade? Well, she has been deluged with job offers from liberals and a Gofundme set up in her name has raised 117k dollars and counting. This seems like a small thing, but it’s indicative of where we are as a society.

There was a time when doing something trashy like flipping off a presidential motorcade would be frowned upon -- not because everyone loves the President, but because no one with class would do anything like that. Those days are gone and they’ve been replaced by non-stop trolling, outright hatred of people with differing opinions and grotesque tribalism. Gridlock has become the rule of the day in Congress for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is that the Right and Left simply don’t agree on much anymore.

Just as an example, ask yourself this question: how many of the fundamental questions about American life do you agree with Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi on? Think about the basic questions of American life.

The Constitution? Conservatives believe in it. Liberals believe in a “living Constitution” which is fundamentally no different than having no Constitution at all.

Religion? Conservatives tend to believe in Judeo-Christian values. Even atheists who are conservative tend to at least be friendly to those values. Liberals mock Judeo-Christian values.

What about patriotism? Conservatives tend to love their country. Liberals love this country like a wife-beater loves his spouse.

Conservatives tend to be capitalists. Liberals tend to be socialists. Conservatives believe people should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. Liberals believe your race defines you. Conservatives believe in equality of opportunity. Liberals believe in equality of results. Conservatives believe in freedom of speech. Liberals are fine with silencing people that disagree with them. Conservatives believe in small government. Liberals believe in a frighteningly powerful central government dictating your every move.

That last one is perhaps the most significant because if liberals could live the way they want in California, New York and Connecticut while conservatives could live as they please in Texas, South Carolina and Utah, we could shrug off our differences. As the government in Washington becomes ever more powerful, that is no longer allowed.

Getting back to that central question, what do you agree with Nancy Pelosi or Barack Obama on? There are certainly some things. For example, Nancy Pelosi represents San Francisco and presumably likes the city. I’ve visited and certainly liked it as well. Barack Obama likes golf and basketball. Certainly there are plenty of conservatives who feel the same way. If we got right down to it, there are probably plenty of conservatives who like the same clothes, restaurants and TV shows that Obama and Pelosi do…but, is that enough to hold together a nation over the long haul?

America is going to be testing that proposition over the next few decades.

Recently, a Republican group in North Carolina asked me to come out and speak. After my speech, there was a Q&A session and someone there asked me, “Is it time for people who love their country to get their guns, head to D.C. and do something about what’s happening in our country?”

Just to be clear, he wasn’t advocating a terrorist attack or a random shooting; he was asking if it is time for patriots who love this country to attempt to overthrow the government to help bring our nation back to Constitutional governance.

What DIDN’T happen is worth noting. Nobody laughed. Nobody shouted, “Oh, come on!” Nobody said, “Oh, that’s just crazy, Dave. You’ll have to excuse him and his wild questions.” Instead, people sat quietly and listened for my response.

The short version of what I told him was “no.” It is not time to split the country apart and have a revolution. That’s a very extreme step and it should only be taken in the direst of circumstances

The longer version of what I told him is that he’s right to be concerned about the country and that, yes, it is entirely possible we won’t hold together long term. What happens when we – almost inevitably at this point – have a debt-driven economic crash which causes Social Security and Medicare to be gutted? Other than wanting to get those checks, what do we have holding us together anymore? Eating lunch at McDonald’s? Watching The Walking Dead? NFL games….oh wait, sorry. We don’t even have that anymore.

We have broken bonds as a nation before: first, with the British, then during the Civil War. Regrettably, we may be headed toward another break down the road. That’s not something anyone should welcome, but when large percentages of the population are forced to live under grating rules they disagree with in the strongest of terms, paid for with increasingly large amounts of tax money they didn’t want to give up and implemented by people they don’t like, respect or feel bound to as a people, no wise person should assume that will continue indefinitely.

[Sirius Lee]

Both Republicans and demoncraps used to, by and large, believe in God and went to church. Hearing the WORD on a regular basis provided us, not only a means of Salvation, but a common culture.

There have always been political differences, but at the end of the day we still had some common morality. That ship has sailed and all that remains is the petty tribalism of identity politics.

Balkanization at the alter of diversity.

[bankwalker]

It is beyond bewilderment and exasperation why practically every American, democrat and republican, doesn’t share my profound gratitude and appreciation for President Trump.

Unfortunately, the folks at the Frankfurt School were much more successful than some of us might like to admit.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Agreed 100%

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

Make no mistake.The swamp enabled obumer to become president and have proven themselves to be the enemy of all freedom loving Americans.THAT INCLUDES THE BUSHES.

[Mmmike]

The education system is where the l*ft is most aggressive. There, they foist their barbarism on you and your peers in order to see where it will stick, with no apologies. It’s taught me the folly of assuming everyone out there has basic decency. The truth is that by repudiating society wholesale, Commies cease to have rights.

[gogeo]

Really...why don’t you explain the difference?

[EBH]

Babylon is Fallen
…3All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy through the extravagance of her luxury.” 4Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues. 5For her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.…

“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

God so often calls His people to exodus of unclean places. Contemplating on this one must consider to where we would exit, where will God lead us this time. He tells us very clearly... “I will receive you.”

[gogeo]

Very well said.

[Jim Noble]

New England should be made part of Canada

Maine, NH, and Vermont are quite agreeable. Total firearm freedom (legal open carry, no permit required for CCW), extremely low crime and (relatively) low taxes, and an ethnic monoculture reminiscent of America in 1950.

I wouldn't get rid of ME-NH-VT so fast.

[Bulwyf]

The short answer is no.

The long answer would require me to compose a small non fiction novel for which I don’t have time for.

[SisterK]

He wanted a race of men who would no longer depend upon free will, morals, ethics or conscience for guidance. Perhaps without realizing it, Marx was setting out to create a race of human beings conditioned to think like criminals.

Which is why I prefer a peaceful division along geographical boundaries with enforced border control. Kind of like amputating a gangrene leg.

[Bulwyf]

Alberta can go down same road. If Texas and Alberta joined up, we’d have most of the world’s energy energy.

[Arlis]

True that.

[Arlis]

True that #2.

[DoodleBob]

Since the election, I have not encountered hostility, finger-pointing, nor liberal rage at work, play, or as I walk around a very blue city. The overwhelming majority of us humans continue to go about our ways, providing for our families, and doing what we do.

Sure, lots of people talk tall on FB and social media, and I'm sure Deplorable people are de-friending suddenly-turned Antifa people, but on a daily, interpersonal basis I am not seeing this kind of collapse being promoted in this article. It strikes me like a typical article on the SHTF websites (which I like a lot) ....doom has been right around the corner since 2008; otherwise we can't sell more freeze-dried food.

To be sure, there are lots of demons on the horizon. Further, Reagan said freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction, and he argued that it must be fought for, protected, and handed on to our children for them to do the same. Yet...he didn't throw in the towel. Neither did the people who fought back against CNN whey they tried to blackmail the gif poster.

By most accounts, at the time of the Revolution, 20% were Loyalists, 33-45% were Patriots, and the rest were ballast. If you replace Loyalist with statist, and Patriots with Deplorables, we are right where we started. AND YET...I see a future. As did everyone along the journey in the US. You gotta have faith, and a serious assessment of the situation. And nerves of steel.

As noted elsewhere, Liberals have made politics their religion...What they really want is liberal Sharia law, a secular theocracy....for them, politics is the means to secular salvation. The minimum wage, gender equality, nationalized health care, and global warming—whatever their practical virtues—are not just expedient policy prescriptions. They are essential aspects of the liberal fatwa...Question them and you are not just wrong—you are a heretic.

I believe, in part, this is why Trump and his retinue keep using Twitter and rallies to remind we Deplorables that, indeed, there's more of us than them, and to not despair. Our steadfast and visible defense of all that is good and right is a partial antidote to this social virus. Everyone wants to win, and one can only hope that further winning will help turn these misguided souls to our side.

I haven't seen fear in the media like this since Reagan fired PATCO. As I said, it's tense out there (but not to the extent I feel it's ginned-up at times) and I am fearful that we may let this watershed moment in US history be wasted. But I am confident we won't.

Let us celebrate, fellow Deplorables. Let not our faces be long with #NeverTrumpism or CNN or Antifa denizens or talk of breaking up the country. We are on the ascent. Our President - a billionaire from Queens - is more like us than any other guy we've had in a LONG time. The future of our Nation - nay, civilization - where we'll always have 20% of the citizenry being chronic whiners, is bright again.

[TADSLOS]

Go for it.

[DoodleBob]

As further evidence...

[DoodleBob]

You win, but great minds and all that.

[central_va]

No, next question.

[central_va]

We are in a political Civil War right now and it is psychologically taxing and if you participate or follow it, like every Freeper does here you know that to be true.

We could go into a hot Civil War easily trading psychological stress for physical pain and emotional suffering. But regardless their is a lot more suffering to come.

One side has to win and the other side has to lose.

Secession is the best option.